Olivia Needs an Elevator.

Disclaimer: nobody's mine, I don't own svu, or 30 rock, or even cheese, for that matter. I really need to go grocery shopping.

a/n: The actress who plays Alex Cabot was also on an episode of 30 Rock :)
a/n: what's more fun than a night of dancing, sword fighting, and then story writing?
That's actually a serious question, I can't think of an answer other than NOTHING!!!

Alex sighed as she shifted the grocery bag to her other hip,

'Why can't Liv ever live in a building with a working elevator?' she wondered to herself, a little past irritated (she'd left that halfway between the third and fourth floors). Olivia's voice was drifting up the stairwell from below and Alex listened in. She listened as her girlfriend calmly explained to a neighbour that though ugly, paisley spandex pants were not an arrestable offence. Alex couldn't help but smile at the neighbour's insistence, and at Olivia's seemingly infinite patience. She continued to smile as she searched her bag for her keys to Olivia's apartment. The keys were still a new development, one that she cherished. Her recent return from witness protection had meant a lot of changes in both their lives.

She had to put the grocery bag down to continue her search for keys, digging around with both hands in her bag. 'There you are,' she thought triumphantly, and smiled at the happy little bumblebee toy bouncing around on the keychain.

Slipping the key into the lock she was surprised to find the door opening on its own, with another woman on the other side.

"Who are you?" both Alex and the mystery women demanded of the other. Neither answered. Both stood and gaped at each other through the doorway. Neither moved save for giving the other a once-over. Alex felt the eerie sensation of looking into a mirror; this other woman could have been her double.

"What are you doing in her apartment?" Alex finally stuttered. The shorter, barefoot blonde did a double take, and then snapped into anger,

"I should ask you the same thing!" she shot at Alex, her hackles raised. Alex couldn't raise herself into anger; she'd been stuck with the realization that there was someone else in Olivia's life. She was mired in the horrible sadness of her new awareness. Alex watched as the same idea took hold of the shorter blonde: Olivia was stringing them both along…

"Who are you?" she asked Alex again, only this time with more desperation and much less fire.

There was someone climbing the stairs. The blondes tore their eyes off each other and to the landing. Olivia's smiling face appeared.

"Hey you," Olivia said, and hooked her arm around Alex. Alex just blinked, unable to move out of her arms, she was just too overwhelmed. Olivia didn't like the look on Alex's face, there was something going on here…
"You get tired or something? You've still got a floor to go," Olivia said, her attempt at levity coming out with too much uncertainty to really work. She looked to the other blonde in the doorway for help, but the look of relief on that blonde's face only added to her confusion.
"Hi Gretchen," Olivia said to the blonde woman in the apartment.

"Hey…" was all Gretchen could say, though she was smirking pretty wildly.

"Is Liz home?" Olivia asked her.

"No, her show's on tonight," Gretchen shook her head. Olivia felt Alex begin to breathe again in her arms. Olivia found it a reassuring feeling.

"Okay, well, tell her I say hi," Olivia looked between the other two women, still foggy on what had passed in her absence, but aware the situation had improved drastically. But she was confident she would figure it out, she'd get that answer out of Alex.

"Come on Alex, I need to cook you some dinner," she said, trying to pull Alex up the stairs.

"Just a sec, Liv" Alex said, extending her hand, "I'm Alex."

"Gretchen, and I live with Liz Lemon, just to clear that one up," they shook hands, smiling at each other. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too, now. And I must meet this Liz," Alex said as she picked up her groceries.

"You definitely will," Gretchen said, laughing a little.

"Excellent." And with that they smiled and Gretchen retreated into her apartment.

"You two made fast friends," Liv observed. Alex just nodded and headed for that last flight of stairs. Liv continued, "Hey, you know, you guys look really similar. It's weird."

"Come on," Alex laughed, "you owe me dinner."

The end. :)